Jakarta. The Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association, or APJII, in cooperation with local event organizer CNG Media & Events, is set to hold an exhibition next month to connect players in information technology with those in the hospitality industry.

This year's edition of the annual Indonesia Internet Expo and Summit, which is supported by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, will take place at the Jakarta Convention Center in Senayan on Nov. 23-25.

"This year, we adopted the theme 'Internet-Based Service in the Hospitality Market,'" APJII chairman Jamalul Izza said in a statement on Wednesday (11/10).

He added that the hospitality industry, which includes hotels and travel businesses, seeks to expand the use of the internet in various aspects of its services, from the booking of hotel rooms, maintaining a consumer database through "big data" analytics, to smart room systems, to make life easier for guests.

Jamal said there is huge potential for greater use of the internet in the industry and that more hotels are now using cloud services for hotel systems and databases, while some also offer internet protocol television (IPTV), which allow users to access interactive multimedia services provided by content providers.

APJII has 380 ISP providers as members, including some of the biggest players, such as Biznet, Linknet and Telkom, and all of the country's mobile phone operators.

Exhibitors will also get a chance to meet hospitality industry players during the Indonesia Internet Expo and Summit, because CNG Media & Events is hosting Hotel Week Indonesia at the same time to showcase new trends in the industry and offer unique business opportunities to exhibitors from various hospitality-related backgrounds.

Alexander Naoyan, chairman of the Jakarta Hotel Association, which represents more than 40 four- and five-star hotels in the capital, said the hospitality industry is increasingly relying on online bookings to draw customers.

"We in the hotel industry are actually pushing guests to book online," Alexander said in the statement. He added that online bookings help save operational costs, as it can reduce the amount of manpower required at receptionist desks.

"There are some hotels that are even relying on making 100 percent of their bookings via the internet. On average nowadays, online hotel bookings make up around 65 percent [of the total]," he said.

Alexander said this figure is expected to reach 100 percent soon, as the Internet of Things (IoT) starts taking over people's daily lives.

However, although IoT is undeniably making people's lives easier, Hotel Information Technology Association (HITA) chairman Albertus G. Prastyo said hotel owners and operators may have been constrained by the costs involved.

Jakarta Hotel Association chairman Alexander previously told the Jakarta Globe that the industry is facing an oversupply situation and that traditional players are facing a challenge as online booking platforms cause wide-scale disruption of traditional services.